Cloth roll feeding apparatus



Nov. 17, 1970 w, R sR 3,541,600

CLOTH ROLL FEEDING APPARATUS Original Filed on. 24; 1966'- INVENTORI HTTO/Z/VE United States Patent Ofice Patented Nov. 17, 1970 US. Cl. 242-55 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of feed rollers rotatably mounted horizontally and parallel to each other, spaced apart sufliciently to support a cloth roll, each feed roller having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, elongated, rib members disposed axially of each feed roller, and mounted in each feed roller for independent radial movement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is an optional divisional application of application Ser. No. 588,983, filed Oct. 24, 1966, now U.S. Pat. 3,412,950 issued to Thomas W. Martin, Sr., on Nov. 26, 1968.

BACKGROUND OF THE *INVENTION This invention relates to a cloth roll feeding apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for accumulating the excess slack in a cloth roll while it is supported and fed by the apparatus.

This cloth feeding aparatus has been specifically employed for supporting and feeding cloth from a cloth roll in a cloth spreading machine, and is an improvement over the cloth supporting and feeding apparatus disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,400,927 of Thomas W. Martin, Sr. et al., issued Sept. 10, 1968 for Cloth Spreading Machine.

Although corrugated or fluted rollers are known in the textile machinery art, the construction and function of such rollers are to provide better traction between the roller and the web or strand for drawing or feeding the web or strand.

The Edmonds Pat. No. 3,048,347, issued Aug. 7, 1962, deals with the same problem of accumulation of slack in web rolls, but solves the problem with tools having fixed alternating ribs and depressions in the surfaces of the feed rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The cloth roll feeding apparatus made in accordance with this invention includes a pair of feed rollers spaced apart sufiicienly to support the full weight of the cloth roll. At least one feed roller, and preferably both rollers, is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced rib members mounted for independent radial movement to form depressions between'the rib members for accumulating the excess slack from the cloth roll. The radially moveable rib members not only provide a more eflicient mechanism for engaging and accumulating the excess cloth in the depression, but also are adapted to retract in proportion to the force exerted upon the rib members by the cloth roll, to minimize excessive creasing.

One object of this invention si to provide a cloth feed roll having independently, radially moveable rib members so that the projecting rib members will assume a radial position while engaging the cloth roll just sufficient to accumulate cloth without unnecessarily indenting the cloth roll.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the cloth roll feeding apparatus made in accordance with this invention as incorporated in a cloth spreading machine, and disclosing the cloth roll in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the feed rollers disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary end elevation of one of the feed rollers disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 discloses a cloth roll support frame 11, such as that mounted on a cloth spreading machine, including a pair of parallel side plates, only one of which is disclosed, secured together and spaced apart by a front spacer rod 14.

Rotata-bly mounted in appropriate bearings in the side plates of the frame 11 are the front feed roller shaft 47 and the rear feed roller shaft 49. Each feed roller shaft 47 and 49 supports one or more coaxilly aligned cloth feed rollers 48 and 50, respectively. The shafts 47 and 49 and their corresponding feed rollers 48 and 50 are spaced apart parallel to each other and horizontal in the frame 11. The combined lengths of the tandem feed rollers 48 and 50, if more than one aligned feed rollers are used, are suflicient to substantially span the length of the support frame 11 in order to adequately support a cloth roll 24. Feed rollers 48 and 50 are also mounted to support the entire weight of the cloth roll 24, which is mounted above and upon the feed rolls 48 and 50, so that the center of gravity of the cloth roll 24 is between both feed rollers 48 and 50.

In order to maintain the cloth roll 24 confined against lateral movement, or movement longitudinally of the feed rollers 48 and 50, a pair of upstanding guide standards, such as 25, may be fixed to the side plates of frame 11 to extend upwardly at opposite ends of the cloth feed roll 24. Each standard, such as 25, is provided with a vertical track or guideway 27 adapted to receive a slide block 28. Projecting inwardly from each slide block in a spindle 29 supporting a conical end bearing 30 to be received in each opposite end of the core of the cloth roll 24. Thus, the conical end bearings 30 are free to move vertically with the core of the cloth roll 24 as the diameter of the roll 24 is reduced by unwinding, and yet the cloth roll 24 is maintained centered upon the feed rollers 48 and 50 to assure the lateral stability of the feed roll 24 on the frame 11.

Both feed rollers 48 and 50 are of identical size and shape and are adapted to be driven in the same direction, such as the direction of the arrows disclosed in FIG. 1. One such means for driving the feed rollers 48 and 50 in the same direction and at the same speed may be through the feed roller drive shaft 33, which may be driven by any convenient motive means, such as an electrical motor, not shown. As best disclosed in FIG. 1, a drive sprocket, not shown, is fixed to the left end of the drive shaft 33 and drives, through chain 35, driven sprockets fixed on the left ends of roller shafts 47 and 49. The drive shaft 33 is driven in the direction to rotate the feed rollers 48 and 50 in the direction of the arrows disclosed in FIG. 1.

Since the construction of the feed rollers 48 and 50 are identical to each other, then only the particular construction of the front feed roller 48 will be considered.

The front feed roller 48, as best disclosed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, is provided with a pair of end hubs 52 keyed to the front roller shaft 47. The hubs 52 are also secured by elongated spacer bars 53.

Formed on the interior of each hub 52 and axially aligned with each other are radially disposed guide slots 55, each of which slidably receives a guide block 56. Fixed between axially aligned pairs of slidable guide blocks 56 are elongated rib members or slots 57. Each rib member 57 is biased radially outwardly by a coil spring 58 disposed around a spring post 59 fixed in collar 60 about the shaft 47 and projecting into spring well 61 formed in each slat 57.

Each slide 56 is provided with a radially elongated slot 63 for receiving a stop pin or screw 64 projecting through the hub 52 into the guide slot 55. Thus, the slide blocks 56 and consequently the rib members 57 are limited radial movement.

Similar elements are shown by primed reference numbers in the rear feed roller 50 in FIG. 1.

In similar types of cloth roll supporting and feeding devices in which the cloth feed rollers, upon which a cloth roll is mounted, have truly cylindrical surfaces, it has been found that the feed rollers make indentations or depressions in the portions of the cloth engaged by the feed rollers, so that the cloth on either side and between the feed rollers sags and creates slack both between and on either side of the feed rollers. As the cylindrical feed rollers are driven to unwind the cloth, the amount of slack multiplies with each revolution of the cloth roll 24. Such slack develops because the imaginary circumference of an ideal cloth feed roll which would not sag, and which is tangent to the cylindrical surfaces of the cloth feed roller is actually less than the actual circumference of the heavy cloth roll when indented by the feed rollers. Thus, the actual circumference of each layer of cloth on the roll is slightly greater than the rotational circumference at which the roll is driven, and for each revolution of the roll, there is an increased increment of sag or slack in the cloth. This sagging or slack in the cloth usually accumulates either between the feed rollers or behind the rear feed roller as the cloth roll is rotated. Occasionally when a suflicient amount of slack cloth is accumulated, it is carried between one of the feed rollers and the cloth roll, periodically causing bunched or creased material in the web of cloth fed from the feed rollers.

If the weight of the feed roll 24 is sufficient to develop slack in the roller layers of cloth, then the feed rollers 48 and 50 will function to accumulate and feed out this excess slack. As will be shown in FIG. 1, the elongated rib members 57 and 57' are uniformly spaced circumferentially at 45 angles. However, the cavities or depressions for receiving the accumulated cloth are formed merely by the empty spaces between the rib members 57 or 57', and are radially as deep as the roller shafts 47 and 49, respectively. Consequently, more than adequate space is provided between the rib members 57 and 57 to accumulate the excess slack of cloth.

The construction of rollers 48 and 50 permits radial compression of the rib members 57 and 57' as they are engaged by the outer layer of cloth on the roll 24. Furthermore, the extent of compression of the rib members 57 is dependent upon the weight of the roll 24 and the the strength of the springs 59. Thus, some excess slack can be eliminated by permitting the partial retraction of the rib members 57 and 57' so that they will not project so far into the cloth roll 24 relative to the space between them. Moreover, the retractibility of the rib members 57 permits them to project upwardly and engage a large portion of slack material as they approach engagement with the cloth layer on the roll 24. Thus, even during their retraction, the rib members 57 and 57' still engage and pull the slack material with the movement of the respective rollers 48 and 50.

It will therefore be seen that a cloth roll feeding and supporting apparatus has been provided which has overcome the severe problem of accumulation and the consequent creasing and bunching of cloth when it is fed from a heavy cloth roll which is supported solely upon a pair of feed rollers. The construction of such a cloth feed roll supporting and feeding apparatus as that incorporated in this invention is particularly advantageous when incorporated in a cloth spreading machine where long sheets or webs of cloth are continuously fed from heavy rolls to spread a plurality of layers of cloth, in order to elim inate creasing or bunching of the cloth.

What is claimed is:

1. A cloth roll feeding apparatus comprising:

(a) a cloth roll support frame,

(b) a pair of feed rollers, rotatably mounted horizontally and parallel in said frame,

(0) said feed rollers being spaced apart sufficiently to support a cloth roll parallel to, above and upon said feed rollers,

(d) each feed roller having a roll engaging surface comprising a plurality of circumferentially alternating elongated rib members and elongated depressions parallel to the axis of said corresponding feed roll, whereby any slack in the cloth of said roll is accumulated in said depressions,

(e) means mounting each rib member in at least one of said feed rollers for independent radial movement, and

(f) means biasing each of the radially moveable rib members outwardly.

2. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising means driving said feed rollers in the same direction and at the same linear velocity.

3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said feed rollers are of uniform size and shape, and rib members are of substantially uniform size and circumferential spacing.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which the means for mounting each rib member for radial movement comprises radially disposed slot means in said feed roller for receiving said rib member, said biasing means comprising a spring connected to said feed roller and operatively engaging said rib member.

5. The invention according to claim 4 further comprising stop means for limiting the radial movement of said rib members in said slot means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,355,107 10/1920 Johnstone 242-66 1,867,550 7/1932 Cameron et a1.

2,447,604 8/1948 Taggart 242-66 XR 3,048,347 8/1962 Edmonds 242-78.7 3,164,332 1/1965 Walker et al 242-66 3,240,442 3/ 1966 Kilmartin 242-66 3,412,950 11/1968 Martin 242-54 STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 242-66 

